The Sacramento Bee:
The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin has filed its ninth and final lawsuit against self-incorporated parishes that turned their backs on the national church in 2007.
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The Episcopal diocese, headquartered in Modesto under Bishop Jerry Lamb, filed a lawsuit in 2008 against the the Anglican [sic, Schofield] diocese and its parishes. The additional lawsuits, filed this year, were necessary to claim the property of self-incorporated parishes.
Monday’s action completes those lawsuits. The other eight parishes are St. Francis in Turlock and St. James — the historic Red Church — in Sonora, as well as St. Michael’s, Ridge-crest; St. John’s, Porterville; Redeemer and Hope, Delano; St. Columbia, Fresno; St. Paul’s, Visalia; and St. Paul’s, Bakersfield.…
Lamb and the Episcopal diocese won its initial lawsuit against Schofield in July 2009. That decision is before the 5th District Court of Appeal. Oral arguments, originally scheduled to begin next week, have been pushed back to mid-October.
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This lawsuit is a continuation of the Diocese’s litigation efforts seeking the return of property to the Diocese and its congregations that is currently occupied by former members of The Episcopal Church who have sought to affiliate with a different denomination. Similar cases are currently pending against the former members of St. Francis, Turlock St. Michael’s, Ridgecrest, St. John’s, Porterville, St. James, Sonora, Redeemer & Hope, Delano, St. Columba, Fresno and St. Paul’s, Visalia.
Unfortunately, such litigation became necessary after the invitations of the Diocesan Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Jerry Lamb, to discuss the orderly return of the Churches were largely ignored. “It is particularly disappointing given the recent and unequivocal decisions of the California Supreme Court and Court of Appeals’ rulings that the properties and assets are held for the Episcopal Church and its Dioceses”, said Diocesan Chancellor Michael Glass.
See also, ENS.